Page 32 of The Chance

Gunn’s cheeks turned red. Genny had told her Gunn was really shy with women. Aubrey believed it. And Gunn was all about her sister right now. He just almost couldn’t look away.

Aubrey hoped…if Ayla had those kinds of feelings for Gunn, she hoped her sister would be okay. That they could figure it out. Because there was no other man she had ever met who she felt would love her sister the way Gunn Hiller probably would.

There was just something about the Hiller men. Something a woman just couldn’t resist.

She needed to find Chantal—and maybe the mayor’s wife, too. She needed advice from women in the trenches. These Hiller men…they were dangerous.

She didn’t know if she was brave enough to take a chance.

By the time the cookout ended—and she was in the kitchen with Genny and the rest of her family, Aubrey still hadn’t figured her particular Hiller man out. She didn’t know if she ever would.

Then she looked up as the rest of the Hillers got quiet. Guthrie and Genny stood there, holding a birthday cake with candles. For her.

She had never had a birthday party in her life that she could remember. Her eyes met his. And she knew. This was his doing. He’d done it for her. Her heart did that lurching thing again. Over something as simple as a birthday cake.

What was this man doing to her?

28

Aubrey was still tryingto decide what she wanted to do about that man two days after her birthday as she drove the man’s little sister to the hospital for a meeting with the board. She had gotten teary-eyed as she’d blown out thirty perfect candles. No denying that. And right there in front of his entire family, he had pulled her closer and just hugged her, patted her on the head, and told her she didn’t look a day over twenty-nine and three-quarters.

He’d wanted to kiss her. She knew that was what he had been wanting. But he’d behaved himself—although he’d been at her side practically all day. Everyone had noticed. Even his mother—she’d sent Aubrey so many approving looks, Aubrey’s cheeks would probably be permanently red. Every time she met that woman’s eyes—eyes she’d given all of her eight children—Aubrey had imagined his mother knowing exactly what she had done with that man behind the puppy barn just hours before.

Until he’d walked her out to her car two hours later. Then he’d kissed the hell out of her while they waited for Ayla to say goodbye to Greer and… Gunn.

Gunn had carried her sister out of the house, down the ramp, and right to Aubrey’s SUV.

Ayla had been quiet the entire drive home. Until she’d told Aubrey she was so confused by that man she didn’t know which way was up. Well, his brother had the same effect on Aubrey.

They’d talked about those two men long past when they usually went to bed, over frozen pizza and leftover birthday cake.

She’d never forget that birthday cake—or what it represented.

“You are looking good. Almost got the black eye covered completely,” Genny said, studying her from the passenger seat, a contemplative expression on her face.

“It’s more like a faint yellow eye at this point. At least it doesn’t hurt any longer.” Aubrey shot a look at Genny as she drove the highway between the Hiller Ranch and the hospital. Genny was moving around much better than she had been.

Of course, Chad had been keeping a close eye on her. It had been no secret at the cookout that Genny and Chad were together. Both of their mothers had made that known. Aubrey had winced on Genny’s behalf, overhearing some of the conversations.

Genny wore a big flashy ring now, too. Chad Fields wasn’t wasting any time at all, that was for sure.

Chad would have driven Genny to speak with the board—and Caine and the Laughlin brothers—but he had been called to help the lone physician in Garrity with a round of patient vaccinations. That physician was affiliated with BCGH and held vaccination clinics twice a year for the area kids. Chad and one of his underlings volunteered to help Dr. Zinck each time.

A good man, and an excellent pediatrician, was Dr. Chad Fields. And he adored her best friend completely. Those two were just too cute together. Genny and Chad had gotten dozens of questions at the cookout, and so had Gene and Chantal.

Then Guthrie had gotten questions. About the woman next to him. So many questions. Questions she still hadn’t figured out how to answer.

A bright red truck pulled out two cars in front of them. Aubrey had already slowed down to give everyone in front of them room. The truck was familiar—and there was a Hiller man driving. She was getting good at recognizing which of Genny’s brothers was which.

“That’s George and Ronnie. He took the girls out to Giavonna so she could watch them this morning before driving back home to get Ronnie. He’s taking Ronnie to see Dr. Lewis today. Her blood pressure is way out of control. No one knows why yet. George wants us all there at the ranch for dinner tonight. He said he and Ronnie have an important announcement about the pregnancy.”

“What do you think it is?” Dr. Lewis was an excellent OB/GYN. Very calm, very knowledgeable, and had been delivering babies since long before Aubrey had been born. He was Guthrie’s second-in-command. He’d once run the department; Guthrie had replaced him when he’d decided to slow down a bit around eighteen months ago.

“I think they are probably going to induce this time. Georgie was asking Guthrie a lot of questions last night. In the parlor where the rest of us couldn’t hear. Guthrie does sort of come in handy sometimes, I think.” Genny shot her a wicked look. “As I am sure you have noticed. Since he’s been sort of… surgically attached to you lately. So close I haven’t been able to get to you. I think I am competing with my own brothers for both of my besties here, or something.”

Heat hit her cheeks. That man… this week…

Every spare minute they had both had—he had been right there, with her. He had recruited a team of Hiller brothers topaint her living room wall, too. What the Hillers had done for her and Ayla this week could never be repaid.

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